A Very Special Person

Stories of how we invite young people into Adventist church leadership.

• "Just Be" - When he was in college, Pastor Ben Amoah had an idea. It did not go as he planned. Now, years later, he knows who to blame. (6 minutes)
• "A Very Special Person" - Buried deep in the depths of the internet lies a piece of hidden Adventist treasure. The journey to learn more about it may be buried even deeper. Aren tries anyway, and discovers more than he was searching for. (27 minutes)

To learn more, visit adventiststories.buzzsprout.com or follow us on Instagram @AdventistStories.

Transcript

SPEAKER_12 0:00

When Ben was in college, he took on a role as student dean. A big part of his job was organizing the weekly dorm worship event on Wednesday nights.

SPEAKER_15 0:08

It was a nice thing I got to do, got to organize, and kind of think of the vision of what worship was going to look like, what the theme was every week, etc.

SPEAKER_12 0:15

One of his main responsibilities, finding speakers. And while he typically would target theology students like him, what he mostly was looking for was anybody who would say yes.

SPEAKER_15 0:26

I was young and new, and I didn't realize the weight that could be carried, but when you're choosing someone to speak, there's an importance of preparation and like guidance that's needed. So you weren't doing any vetting or I was just like, hey, like you want to share for tonight? People are like, yeah. I'm like, oh, cool, man. That's awesome. Thank you for staying yes.

SPEAKER_12 0:46

One day, Ben is in class when he gets an idea for a speaker, an acquaintance he'd gotten to know, who he had heard might also be considering ministry for a career. She had never done any public speaking, but Ben sees something in her. So he asks.

SPEAKER_15 1:06

Trying to like embrace my role. I'm like, uh Hey, like, you know what? Just be yourself. That's what matters.

SPEAKER_12 1:14

It turns out those words, just be yourself, they're exactly what she needs to hear. She agrees to speak at the Wednesday night service in two weeks. Ben is thrilled. You you had seen something in her that made you think, let me give her this chance.

SPEAKER_15 1:27

Let me give her this opportunity. I think it's it's special, right?

SPEAKER_12 1:30

Like, she can do this. Two weeks go by, Wednesday night comes, the dorm fills up, praise team leads in a few songs, and then it's Ben's turn to go up and introduce the speaker.

SPEAKER_15 1:41

And I'm gassing her up. The homie, everyone knows her. Let's put our hands together for so-and-so. Everyone's rowing, everyone gets hype, everyone gets hype every single time. She walks up, you know, the spotlights on her, and then she says, You know, I haven't had uh many opportunities, and then uh Ben encouraged me to come and share today. And I and I told him, like, uh, this is not something I do, but he said, like, just be yourself. And so that's what I'm gonna do. I'm just gonna be. Then she walked off the stage. And there was silence in the room. And I remember looking around, like, wait, is this and I had to go up and close the service. I was like, oh my goodness, what just happened? I was like, oh snap. She really just went to go beat. Praise God. I didn't know what to do. Everyone's like, huh?

SPEAKER_12 2:36

Everyone's looking at me, and I'm like, so so that's literally all she said and did.

SPEAKER_15 2:43

She was the sermon. And there might have been one person that said, like, mm-hmm, like someone that validated it in the room in the crowd, and I was like, when I looked back at her just to check like what's going on, she was looking at the stage, like, what's happening next? So I was like, oh, like, she always looked at me weird, like, yeah, like like uh Ben, you're up. Next. I'm like, you know, we was like, yeah, you can't do that to me.

SPEAKER_12 3:16

So what what did you do afterwards?

SPEAKER_15 3:19

I went up, but I just said like, I think I kind of had a free shot. I said, let's just take a few minutes to reflect on ourselves being I don't know what I did. Like, I don't know what I tried I try to direct it. Everyone just prayed with the person beside you. Let's let's close up. You know, I think uh yeah, it's an early night, let's just get some rest.

SPEAKER_12 3:36

I asked Ben if he asked her why she did what she did. He didn't, but left that night with some guesses. Maybe it was nerves or self-doubt or meant as a statement. But now, when Ben looks back on it, he doesn't think it was any of those. More than anything, he says it happened because the person who asked her to speak didn't offer any help or guidance beyond that.

SPEAKER_15 3:56

I needed to come and walk with her if I'm asking somebody to do something that they're uncomfortable with, something they haven't done before. It should be on me to not just be like, hey, you can't do this and walk away.

SPEAKER_12 4:06

How did that change the way that you led change everyone?

SPEAKER_15 4:10

Change everything because now, especially working as a youth pastor, asking it's important to give people opportunities to participate. They have to, I think it's like that's a key thing of church. Like, we're not made to just be uh consumers, we're invited to participate. And so it's made me very intentional. Like I still ask anybody, I think I still have that. Like I still want, like, I don't really care, but there's a preparation that's important.

SPEAKER_12 4:31

Yeah, it's almost like when when as a a pastor or person in leadership, when they actually take the time to come alongside of people they've asked to write or speak, that's almost the best part of the process. That's where the rich moments come.

SPEAKER_15 4:47

That's right.

SPEAKER_12 4:47

Absolutely. Do you have any idea where she's at today? Is she a pastor?

SPEAKER_15 4:52

No. No, she's not a pastor. And uh I think wait. No, no, no. No, um, no, she's and she isn't, and she's thriving doing what she's doing.

SPEAKER_12 5:02

And so she's just being.

SPEAKER_15 5:04

She is currently being, and I'm I'm actually so glad for her on that. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_12 5:12

Ben Amoa is a youth and young adult pastor in Southern California. Well, I'm your host, Aaron Renneker, also a pastor in California. And today, on our first episode of Adventist Stories, we bring you another story that focuses on how we invite young people into church leadership. And this one involves something and someone I never would have expected, and my unlikely pursuit to get to the bottom of it. That's coming up next, right after this.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

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SPEAKER_11 6:33

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SPEAKER_12 7:09

Welcome back to Adventist Stories, our first episode. So cool you've decided to listen. And in this show, we're going to be sharing a variety of stories from many different people about a lot of different things. Because that's Adventism. And this next story touches on things like purpose, fame, art, and why we tell stories in the first place. We hope you enjoy it. Tell me if you've been here before. It's late at night, you should be asleep. But instead, you're on YouTube. Down some rabbit hole. You aren't even sure how you got here, or if your algorithm will ever recover. But despite all that, you keep digging deeper. There are approximately 15 billion videos on YouTube, which means there are an infinite number of trails to wander. And while most of them lead to nothing, every now and then, you discover gold. That's how I would describe one video in particular. I can almost guarantee you've never seen it. It was made in 1982, got posted online in 2012, and doesn't have a large number of views or comments. To most people, it wouldn't mean much. But to an Adventist like me, it felt like finding the needle in a haystack. The video is titled A Very Special Person. It begins simply enough. An Adventist man is digging in his yard as birds sing overhead. His tank top is sweaty, his shorts are short, and then a second man in a leather vest rides up on a motorcycle. The younger man, John, is a recent high school graduate, where the older man, Barry, was his teacher. And John, he's got a problem. He doesn't know what to do with his life. So he's asking for advice. And Barry's got just the idea. A career that requires knowledge of the arts, good communication, and sound moral character.

SPEAKER_05 9:11

Well, what do you think? Is that enough challenge for you? Well, it's not I want to be Superman, I just want an interesting job. This is an interesting job, John. It's one of the most interesting there is. What's it called? It's called gospel ministry. A pastor?

SPEAKER_07 9:25

Yes, that's right. You interested? Well, that's not really my scene, is it, you know, a dark suit and a lot of people.

SPEAKER_12 9:30

It's a bit hokey, but for the 80s, pretty innovative. The teacher explains that being a pastor isn't just holding a Bible and wearing a suit. It's about keeping up with the times. Less apologist, more renaissance man. Something even a teen on a motorcycle could love. He even sounds familiar. Maybe you catch it on the second close-up or the third, but eventually it hits you. Is that Russell Crowe?

SPEAKER_07 10:04

Well, how does this temptation? Well, how does the call happen? Well, it's really the work of the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_12 10:10

That is Russell Crowe. Gladiator, Cinderella Man, Le Miz, A-list Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, playing an inquiring Adventist student headed for the ministry.

SPEAKER_05 10:21

Okay, so I get the call. What happens next? Study. Four years of intensive study at one of the finest Christian colleges in the country.

SPEAKER_12 10:34

Suddenly we're whisked away to the campus of Avondale College, now Avondale University, an Adventist school in Australia. We follow Barry and John as they sit in class, talk about purpose, even admire the female students. Is she a theology student? She could be. There are women who do a theology degree here. The YouTube version jumps around. I don't think it's the full video, but we get the idea that John is impressed. The closing act then brings them back together in Barry's Yard, where John has decided to apply as a theology student. Cue to an incredible montage underneath the credits, where the first name listed is Russell Crowe. I had to know more.

SPEAKER_17 11:15

Hello, hello.

SPEAKER_12 11:16

Hey David, how you doing?

SPEAKER_17 11:18

Yeah, good, man. How are you?

SPEAKER_12 11:20

My friend David is a fellow youth pastor. And he's Australian. Seems like a good lead. So I have a strange question for you. There is this video that exists on YouTube from the 80s that features an older man talking to a younger man about becoming an Adventist pastor, and he takes the young man to Avondale College, he shows him around, and it just so happens that the young man is played by Russell Crowe.

SPEAKER_17 11:49

No way.

SPEAKER_12 11:50

Have you heard of this at all?

SPEAKER_17 11:52

No, never.

SPEAKER_12 11:54

You have not heard of this.

SPEAKER_17 11:55

No, I've never seen this at all.

SPEAKER_12 11:59

Okay. Can I send you a link?

SPEAKER_17 12:02

I would love to see it. Alright, alright. Let me go.

SPEAKER_06 12:09

Hello, John. I just don't want to drop in. What have you been up to since you matriculated? Well, I've got a job in a factory in town, but I still haven't really decided what I want to do with my life yet. Got any ideas? No, I was kind of hoping you had.

SPEAKER_17 12:23

Well, how does this sound the most 80s thing I've ever seen, man?

SPEAKER_05 12:28

Combined with an in-depth knowledge of theology.

SPEAKER_17 12:31

Can you imagine if you became a minister?

SPEAKER_05 12:33

It's called Gospel Ministry.

SPEAKER_07 12:35

A pastor?

SPEAKER_05 12:36

Yes. That's right. Interested.

SPEAKER_07 12:39

Well, that's not really my scene, is it? You know, a dark suit and a white shirt and a tie with a Bible tucked down to my arm.

SPEAKER_17 12:49

Um yeah, no, I have never come across that. That is that is wild.

SPEAKER_12 12:55

So if we look at the names at the end, I'm curious if you recognize any of them.

SPEAKER_17 13:00

Oh. If I hang on, if I go back to the credits. Um I mean, obviously Russell Crowe. That might be the only one.

SPEAKER_12 13:13

Well, David, thank you, man.

SPEAKER_17 13:15

That's that's awesome.

SPEAKER_12 13:21

I was officially one for one in sharing the video, but oh for one in finding anything out about it. I had one other friend in mine who could possibly know something about this, my friend Chris. Also a youth pastor, also attended Avondale, and a few years older than David. Maybe that would help. Hi Mike, how are you doing? Hey Chris. How are you? I'm doing well. I'm doing well. I have a question for you that is a bit random. To be completely transparent, it's it's being brought to you for the sole fact that you are Australian. Uh so there is a video that exists on YouTube from the 80s that features an older man talking to a younger man about becoming an Adventist pastor, and it just so happens that the young man is played by Russell Crowe. That is correct. So you've heard of this video before?

SPEAKER_16 14:19

Oh, I've seen it. They showed it to us like the second day that we got to like classes for theology. They're still proud of it.

SPEAKER_12 14:27

Is that the reason why you became an Adventist pastor, that video?

SPEAKER_16 14:32

Precisely. Uh Russell Crowe in his I believe it was like a black, sleeveless leather vest and an autumn mullet. I stole myself in him. What was interesting is when we watched it, we're like, huh! Like that was kind of cool and progressive of them back then to try and make a video of that nature. Like, we're like good on the drawing, that's kind of cool. Like, we're like, you know, like mildly impressed. And then, you know, just the sheer luck of getting Russell Crowe. I mean, that's just cool.

SPEAKER_12 15:04

I scrolled through Russell Crowe's profile on the international movie database. He has over 80 acting credits to his name, three of which got him nominated for best actor. But all the way down at the bottom was his first credited role in 1987, five years after a very special person.

SPEAKER_16 15:20

When he took out the Oscar for the like the Gladiator film, I mean, you know, we loved him. We were super proud of him. But then, yeah, well, he he he got a bit older and a bit angry and a bit drunker, and we're uh a little you know, a little cautious of him now. But he is like he's he's a good actor, actually. Like he's talented.

SPEAKER_12 15:41

And now we know where he got his start.

SPEAKER_16 15:43

Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_12 15:47

Do you know if this video was successful for Avondale?

SPEAKER_16 15:51

Bunch of dudes walking up in a sleeveless leather vest. I actually have no idea.

SPEAKER_12 15:56

Well, Chris, thank you for letting me call you and ask you about this. I'll let you know how my digging goes. I may be uh following up with you later. Please do, please do. Cheers. Hearing Chris say he remembers seeing the video over 20 years ago and being impressed makes me even more curious. I mean, this feels so out of character for the Adventist Church and for Russell Crowe. So how did this happen? Who made it? And why didn't we keep doing more things like it? Which leads to another layer in all this: the tenuous relationship between Adventism and the performing arts. Back in 1913, church prophet Ellen White famously wrote that the theater was, quote, the very hotbed of immorality.

SPEAKER_13 16:38

Every youth who habitually attends such exhibitions will be corrupted in principle. The only safe course is to shun the theater.

SPEAKER_12 16:51

White wrote those words before the advent of the cinema and likely had good reason to discourage attendance. But as culture shifted over the next century, the weight of her words didn't. Many Adventists grew up being told the one place their guardian angel would not follow them into was the movie theater. Even today, it's still taboo. And yet, Adventism has found its way onto the screen. TV shows like Girls. House.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

His followers never faded out. They became the Seventh-day Adventists. A major religion. That manche.

SPEAKER_12 17:27

Gilmore Girls.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

I have decided to make this whole Seventh-day Adventist college experience a good one. Well, good for you. The campus looks pretty. Very pretty.

SPEAKER_10 17:35

It's got two huge parks with gardens and lakes, two parks, one for boys and one for girls.

SPEAKER_12 17:41

Even Archie Bunker from All in the Family.

SPEAKER_06 17:43

Raise him a looferin' if you want. Raise him a Norman with seven wives. A holy roller, a seventh-day adventure.

SPEAKER_12 17:53

But none of those had the impact of Angus T. Jones. That may sound like the name of another church pioneer, but Jones was a star on the hit CBS show Two and a Half Men. He was 10 when it began. And by age 12, Jones was the highest paid child actor in Hollywood. He made$8 million a season.

SPEAKER_09 18:12

Uncle Charlie, what if somebody you don't want to talk to comes over instead of calls? He's not here, Grandma!

SPEAKER_12 18:21

Jones was on the show for 10 years. Then, at 19, he suddenly left after converting to Adventism. He began calling the show filth and begged fans to stop watching. It was a huge media story. Since then, he's retracted those statements, but he's no longer on screen. Even so, Angus T. Jones likely remains the greatest living connection between the church and the acting world. Until now? But here's the thing: the Avenist Church in North America is now facing its own pastor shortage. So maybe we could learn something from our friends down under. Pastor Chris told us that Avendale showed the video to incoming students, but neither him nor David knew anything about its backstory or impact. I also tried contacting the user that uploaded it with no luck. I realize I'm left with no other choice. It was time to go directly to the source.

SPEAKER_10 19:16

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SPEAKER_01 20:01

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SPEAKER_12 20:49

As I look for answers in Australia, it doesn't escape me how strange this call is. This is a busy university, and I'm bothering them to ask about something I saw on YouTube. Sure enough, there is no menu option for questions about videos we made in the 80s. So it goes as you might expect.

SPEAKER_04 21:12

New student inquiries, press two.

SPEAKER_12 21:16

The actor Russell Crowe in the video.

SPEAKER_04 21:18

Oh, awesome. Yeah, okay. Um Hello.

SPEAKER_12 21:20

Hello, are you there? I I'm in the in the United States. That's okay. Showed me this video on YouTube.

SPEAKER_04 21:25

Are you a current upload or student?

SPEAKER_12 21:27

No, I am not. Hello? Sorry, you're still there. R E N N to hear these options again.

SPEAKER_04 21:34

The old Russell Crow Avendale advert. Yeah, and um probably not a whole heap on record here.

SPEAKER_12 21:39

A C K Yeah, no worries. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

That's okay. No worries, all the best.

SPEAKER_12 21:44

Okay, bye-bye. For as kind as everyone was, my calls to Avondale leave me with little more than a phone bill. The next day I receive an email from the school confirming they don't know much about the video, but with a contact suggestion for someone who might. I reach out to ask for an interview, but they decline. I also try contacting every name I can find from the credits. Producers, editors, I even message the co-star in the shorts on Facebook and LinkedIn. I don't hear back. I'm starting to wonder why this is so hard. Sure, 44 years is a long time, but this is Maximus, Zeus, Javert.

SPEAKER_15 22:22

And I'm Javert!

SPEAKER_12 22:24

Sorry. But while listening to that curious note, it hits me. Why not reach out to the man himself? I look online and message the agency that represents Russell Crowe. I also find an email address claiming to belong to the actor. My pitch is simple. Just five minutes to ask about his first acting job. For good measure, I also reach out on his social media channels. I'm met with silence. What my search does yield are two old interviews about the video. The first with Crow, who says when he was young, the Seventh-day Adventist Church offered him$500 to film a 25-minute promo. He gladly accepted during a time when he had few jobs and no family around. He also shares a story of staying at an Adventist family's home during the shoot. It made me wonder if the young person impacted the most by a very special person was Crow himself. The other interview was with somebody who worked on the crew. He said the actor's involvement in the project was instrumental in encouraging young people to not necessarily become pastors, but become Adventist. To them, a very special person was a success. After emailing every Aussie I can find, weeks go by with no response. But then, late one night, as I'm crawling into bed, I get a message from a pastor in Australia who says that while he didn't help make the video, he now works with the company that did. And he's happy to talk. Immediately I crawl out of bed. Hi Mike. Hi Wayne, how are you? Wayne, I really appreciate you. Wayne Boehm is a pastor with a long career in media ministry. He now works as the director for the Hope Channel South Pacific. Hope Channel is part of the Adventist Media Centre in Australia, the company that produced a very special person. Wayne wasn't there in 1982, but he's seen the video.

SPEAKER_14 24:13

Yeah, 10, 15 years ago. And um, yeah, Russell's pretty big out in this part of the world, being one of our own. Yeah, you sort of look and go, you know, wow, look at this. Again, mid eighties, there would have been no social media, um, no YouTube. So where it actually played, uh I I don't know. But probably now it would be a good thing for Evandale to pick it up and say, Hey guys. Create a reel out of it and start pushing it around there again. Yeah, it's in the the dark recesses of YouTube somewhere. How did you come across it? How did you see it?

SPEAKER_12 24:51

Exactly the dark recesses of YouTube. I feel like it's just one of those mythical things that makes its little rounds. But do you know these names? I began going through the credits and asking Wayne who he knows or has heard of, which leads to one name in particular. Gabe Rhinod.

SPEAKER_14 25:07

Yeah, yeah. I think he was the the produced Robert. Um unfortunately he's passed. It was a um uh a a motorcycle accident um that he was involved in. So yeah, he passed a number of years ago now.

SPEAKER_12 25:22

It turns out Reynaud was a filmmaking pioneer in the church, the first ever professionally trained Adventist director. After creating a very special person in his twenties, he went on to produce award-winning documentaries and several films, such as Keepers of the Flame. It's a groundbreaking series on church history. He was also a fierce advocate for the arts. In one article from 1998, Reynault said he believes Adventists should play an active role in media, and that he dreams of a church that truly values creativity. If I can make a few small steps in this direction with my productions, he says, I will feel I've achieved something worthwhile. Two years later, he tragically passed away at age 47. Wayne tells me about some of the other crew from the video.

SPEAKER_14 26:08

Yeah, Kevin, he he's passed as well. He was um uh down at the media center. He was the um evangelist. And he's still working.

SPEAKER_12 26:19

One of uh as he shares, I begin to see a very special person through a new lens. Rather than being about the special person who went on to start in Hollywood, I wonder if it's actually about the bold group of people who came together to try something new, led by a young director who deeply believed in the creative potential of the church. It seems like there was just this team of talented pastors or media professionals who were just creating really engaging creative content for the church at that time. These really brilliant people working together. It's kind of a special thing.

SPEAKER_14 26:53

Yeah. Yeah. And that's one of the things that I guess when we start looking at this sort of material and everyone being a creator these days. Um we've got to be creative. I think we do have to push the boundaries of creativity at times, not for the sake of pushing boundaries, but for the sake of you know being creative in this in this space. Think beyond you know what be what might be possible and and just lay it out there. Lord, is this the direction we need to go? And you know, move forward in it.

SPEAKER_12 27:27

Wayne, it's a such a pleasure to meet you, Pastor. And uh thank you so much for being part of our podcast. Uh pleasure. Shortly after our conversation, I receive a surprising reply email from Russell Crowe. After asking about the podcast and then agreeing to an interview, he directs me to negotiate fees with his manager, which may mean it was not coming from Russell Crowe after all. But even if it was, frankly, I had moved on. I decided to make my last call to somebody I was much more interested in talking to.

SPEAKER_08 28:00

Dad was like deeply creative, quite introspective, and yeah, really proud of his work, proud of his family.

SPEAKER_12 28:11

This is Ebony Taplin, formerly Ebony Reynault, the daughter of Gabe Reynaud.

SPEAKER_08 28:17

In so many words. I know he loved storytelling, and that's kind of like his strong silent type as well. He was strong in his face and strong in his passion for filmmaking and passion for all the arms.

SPEAKER_12 28:32

What do you remember about that passion as a child?

SPEAKER_08 28:35

He was so determined to make this career in the arms happen. You know, the sacrifice of regular paychecks. There was a catchphrase, you know, the checks in the mail. You know, we were always waiting for the checks to come. And I really like admire dad because um it would have been a lot easier to step away and and pursue projects outside the church. But dad was passionate about it, and he I think he saw it as his way to share his place.

SPEAKER_12 29:11

It also meant a lot of travel. Even he shares about a time when he was away for a film shoot, but returned earlier than expected.

SPEAKER_08 29:19

We weren't expecting him home so soon, and he'd arrived at the door and I went to answer the door. I said, What are you doing home? Like already. And he said, My name's Gabriel. I flew here like he was an angel. And we were like, whatever. And and my my point at the funeral was, you know, he obviously was an angel, but very angelic in my memory and but also really real.

SPEAKER_12 29:48

Ebony was 17 when the accident happened. After taking her to California to attend a new school, Gabe then flew to Europe for two weeks of filming. The morning he returned home, he went on a motorcycle ride with Ebony's older brother. Near the end of the ride, as both bikes turned a corner, Gabe collided with an oncoming vehicle.

SPEAKER_08 30:07

So getting that call in the States was it was as horrific as you can imagine. Um, it felt like a movie, you know. And it was the church pastor at the time who phoned. And he just said, Oh still remember. Uh love, there's there's been an accident, and dad's um dad's not made it. And I I remember just this no, no, no reaction, and it was uh very Hollywood in hindsight. Dad would have been proud. Coming home it was almost exciting because I'd been away, and family and friends from all over, and lots of attention on the family, of course, and and uh it was the silence that came, you know, several months later when it had everyone had gone home, and you're left with you know the grieving from that point on, so Ebony is now in her forties, married with three kids of her own.

SPEAKER_12 31:16

Of course, the grief remains, a close companion over the past 26 years, that also inspires her to keep sharing about her dad, even with strangers calling from the other side of the world, which eventually does lead to her asking how I discovered her dad's work.

SPEAKER_08 31:32

I don't know, so what what had you seen?

SPEAKER_12 31:35

By this point, I'm almost embarrassed to say. Yeah, um did he ever mention creating a video that uh a young Russell Crowe acted in?

SPEAKER_08 31:47

Yeah. Of course. He stayed at our house.

SPEAKER_12 31:52

What?

SPEAKER_08 31:53

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_12 31:54

So that uh dad went to Remember that Adventist family Russell mentioned staying with? Turns out it was in Ebony's bedroom, one year before she was born. And the Avondale professor who then started showing the video to students, her uncle Daniel, who taught at the school and couldn't help but brag about his brother.

SPEAKER_08 32:14

He would say, Oh now, do we all remember the time, you know, that Gabe Breno brought Russell Crowe into the fold to advertise Avondale College, you know? So we we were able to have that rapport with dad and we'd go, Oh, yeah, yeah, you and Rusty, you know. Um and Rusty. And it's funny you say a few weeks ago I had my wedding anniversary, and we stayed in the city where Russell has an apartment. Okay, and we were leaving for the weekend, and who should be walking by? Russell. I was like, I said to Luke, do I go and say something like you stayed in my bedroom, but he was with a lady, and I thought she'll be like, excuse me. Um but I I wish I'd done it, and I think I if I had a bit of gabe in me, or more gabe at that time, I would have gone over and said, please, let me just bother you for one minute. And I miss my trust me, Ebony.

SPEAKER_12 33:16

We've all been there. Before I let you go, what do you hope is your father's legacy? What do you hope he's remembered by?

SPEAKER_08 33:28

I think those things, like, you know, his strength and determination to pursue something he believed in, something he was passionate about. Um, and that certainly resonates. You know, it's it's all too easy to let go of a dream when you've you come up against so much pushback and um and he was happy to just do it his way, that he felt comfortable in, but still cause some ripples, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_12 34:01

Yeah, it does. In 2011, Avendale created the Gay Brenault Award, given annually to Adventist artists who demonstrate creative excellence. Recipients have included filmmakers, songwriters, live streamers, and composers. It's considered Australia's highest honor in Adventist media.

SPEAKER_08 34:22

You know, I'm so pleased. You reached out and thank you for the opportunity. I always I'd love for anyone, everyone to know about Dan. And is it Aaron or Aaron? Yeah, Aaron.

SPEAKER_12 34:37

It's Aaron, just like the normal name, just spelled differently.

SPEAKER_08 34:40

Okay. Well, I'll give you an Aussie Aaron then.

SPEAKER_12 34:49

In the end, I didn't speak directly with any of the actors or producers of a very special person. And yet, I no longer felt the need to. The video remains for us now a gift from the past, a pixelated relic of talented Adventist creators, and of a church that has pushed the edges of artistry before, by stepping upon the shaky ground of innovation. Perhaps that's why we tell our stories, not only for what they say to the audience, but for what they remind us about ourselves. Adventist Stories is a production of the Pacific Union Conference and Growing Young Leaders. It is hosted and edited by me, Aaron Renneker, with the support of many. Cover art designed by Taji Salim, music provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Stellwagen Symphonette, Christine Fellows, John K. Sampson, and Lindsay May. We're going to end each episode of the show by featuring one Adventist musical artist. This is Lindsay's first single In Your Arms Again. Congratulations, Lindsay. If you'd like to hear more of Lindsay's music, you can find her on Spotify and on her Instagram at Lindsay May Brown. Also, Pastor Ben Amoa, who you heard at the beginning of the episode, he's produced a youth study guide called Nine Practices for Being Well. You should check it out. It's really good. You can find it at adventsource.org. To learn more about the show, visit our website, adventiststories.buzzsprout.com, or follow us on Instagram at AdventistStories. And if you enjoyed this episode, we would be so grateful if you subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. It truly means a lot. Finally, a big thank you to our union president, my boss, Bradford Newton. He has been such a big support to making this show happen. In fact, when I asked him what it was like hearing our very first episode, he looked at me with a big smile on his face and said, Yeah, so looking, yeah, wow, look at these. Thank you all so much for listening. We will be back next week with our second episode, and we hope you join us then for more Adventist Stories.